The noble medical profession today is more commerce than service. A PIL takes the matter to SC  

The pharma-physician nexus has reached the apex court. That this relationship was not all fair and square is common knowledge and needs no further elaboration. There may be notable exceptions, but they are few and far between. The recent PIL in the Supreme Court of India is only a reiteration of the obvious truth that commerce, and not service, is the key motivating force in the healthcare industry.

The medical profession that is regarded as a noble service to humanity has time and again been proved to be otherwise. A profession that should have been driven by mission is now driven by commission. Everything is commerce and commerce is everything. The dubious doctor-pharma relationship remained under the scanner for a long time, but the corona pandemic brought it to the open.

The pandemic was, in fact, an eye opener as far as the healthcare sector is concerned. Of course, there are the good, the bad and the ugly faces everywhere, but some professions are too crucial to allow for the bad and the ugly. The wrong people in these professions can become merchants of death.

The conduct of top global health agencies and institutions left much to desire. The confusion that prevailed during the pandemic appeared more due to intent rather than accident. Look how things moved in the name of treatment. From the initial panacea for covid-19 being the drug hydroxychloroquine, to Dolo-650, to Azithral, to Ivermectin to Medrol, to Remdesivir, the prescription kept on changing frequently till the drugs went out of stock in the stores.

It was some kind of chaos. And many top doctors from top institutions were responsible for this. Steroids, antibiotics, paracetamol, blood thinners and what not. Ironically, every prescription was followed by a disclaimer that it may or may not work. The more intriguing aspect of the entire scenario was that everyone was talking on the basis of some research or the other, many even published in highly reputable international research publications.

Research and researchers seemed to be a part of the game plan. Perhaps, they were sponsored by lobbies to influence markets rather than test hypotheses. No wonder we saw an astronomical number of research papers, published on a daily basis. They were confused. The only conclusion was that there is no conclusion.

The powerful pharma lobby made hay while the people suffered. The question of medical ethics was never as debatable. From desi potions to chemical formulations, it was free for all. Even the advisories that came from the supposedly authentic sources smelt conspiratorial. The healthcare sector capitalised on health scare and many lossmaking enterprises could turn their balance sheets around. While the patients continued to be treated like guinea pigs, humanity stood disgraced. It is not just about one pandemic. It’s about one whole sector, and a critical one. It must come under scrutiny.

Corona validated what was always hypothesised. The skeletons in the cupboard of the health care business became visible to the common people. The question is what to do?

From prescriptions of medicines to referral hospitals to insurance cover to pathology and radiological investigations, commerce seems to rule the roost. The answer does not lie in legislation. Even medical ethics code will not help. They are ignored with impunity. As commissions take over missions only introspection can help. The problem lies in the head and can be solved only by the heart. The physician needs to heal himself.

(The author is a former professor at IIT, Dhanbad)